Nutritive Value of
Jumbo Grass (Sorghum Bicolour Sorghum
Sudanefe) Silage in Lactating
Nili-Ravi Buffaloes
N. A. Tauqir, M. Sarwar1, M. A. Jabbar2 and S. Mahmood
Buffalo Research Institute, Pattoki, District Kasur;
1Institute
of Animal Nutrition and Feed Technology, University
of Agriculture,
Faisalabad;
2Department
of Animal Nutrition, University
of Veterinary
and Animal Sciences, Lahore,
Pakistan
Abstract
This study was conducted to evaluate the feeding
value of Jambo grass (Sorghum
bicolour Sorghum sudanefe) silage as a
replacement of conventional fodder (Jambo grass; JG) in the diet of lactating
Nili Ravi buffaloes
(Bubalus
bubalis).Jumbo
grass was ensiled with molasses(at 2% of fodder DM)
on
large scale in bunker silos for 30 days. Two experimental iso-nitrogenous and
iso-energetic diets were formulated with 75:25% of forage to concentrate ratio
on DM basis that contained 75% of JG fodder or silage and 25% concentrate.
Twenty early lactating Nili-Ravi buffaloes were divided into two equal groups
and fed experimental diets for 60 days at ad libitum. First 10 days were given for adaptation to new diets and the
rest 50 days for sample collection. Daily feed intake and milk yield were
recorded for each animal. Milk samples were analyzed for crude protein (CP),
fat, solids not fat, total solids and non-protein nitrogen. During last week of
the study, a digestibility trial was conducted. The acid insoluble ash was used
as digestibility marker.
Intakes of dry matter (DMI), CP, neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid
detergent fiber (ADF) were higher in animals fed control diet than those fed
Jambo grass silage (JGS) diet. A significant
difference among experimental diets for DMI may be due to the presence of
fermentation products in ensiled material that might have depressed the intake
in silage based diets. The apparent DM, CP, NDF and ADF digestibilities were
non-significantly different between both experimental diets, showing a trivial
loss of nutrients during silage making. Milk yield (4% FCM) and its composition
did not show any treatment effect. The present results indicated that JG ensiled
with 2% molasses for 30 days could safely replace the conventional fresh Jumbo
grass fodder in the diet of lactating
Nili Ravi buffaloes without affecting their milk yield.